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What We Know with Max Foster
Flurry Of Big Decisions On Final Day Of The Court's Term; Kushner, Witkoff In Doha For Talks With Key Mediator Qatar; Venezuela Earthquakes: Miraculous Rescues Offer Hope Days After Critical Window; No-Bid Contract For Reflecting Pool Fix Under Scrutiny; Tom Kean Returns To U.S. House After Months-Long Absence. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 30, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:40]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The U.S. Supreme Court hands down major decisions on its final day of its term.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
The U.S. Supreme Court today slapping down an executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his very first day in office. That's how
important it was to him. The court said Mr. Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship goes against the U.S. Constitution. The ruling
affirms that pretty much anyone who's born on American soil can be a citizen, even if their parents aren't citizens.
But the conservative-dominated court also gave the president some key wins on this last day of its term. It ruled there's no limit on how much money
political parties can spend to support individual candidates, an important decision for Republicans, who have a big advantage over Democrats in terms
of spending, at least. And it dealt a blow to transgender rights, saying that states can ban transgender students from playing on girls' teams,
sports teams. Twenty-nine states have laws that say an athlete's sex at birth is what should determine if they can play women's sports.
Joining me now to dissect all of this is CNN's chief Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic, and our health reporter as well, Jacqueline Howard.
Joan, if we could go to you, because this is a huge decision in many ways, but people are quite surprised that there were any dissenters on the panel,
because the Constitution is so, so clear.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: That's right, Max, and it's great to see you.
You know, in the courtroom today, when Chief Justice John Roberts read the opinion, he made it sound as if it was so straightforward. This has been so
much a part of American history. And he invoked plenty of English history, too, saying that it was part of the common law in England at the time that
America broke off and used all the common law traditions in England to start its own Constitution, or many of them to start its own Constitution.
And he stressed that, and then stressed what had come after that with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in 1868, which reinforced this idea that
if you are born here, if you are on U.S. soil, you automatically become a U.S. citizen.
And it was a surprise that three of the justices, the most conservative justices, split off. But Max, you know, what was even a greater surprise is
that Brett Kavanaugh, one of the justices who did sign on to the majority's bottom line that said President Trump couldn't do it at this time, he
actually said there is a way that he could if he got congressional legislation.
So that makes a fourth justice. You only need five for a majority. But right now there are four justices who are saying that there might be a path
forward if you go through Congress. You know, the way the chief justice presented it as such a serious constitutional ruling with the current
majority, you wouldn't be able to do that. But all Donald Trump would need would be one more vote, and of course, some congressional legislation that
would limit people born in the U.S. on whether they could become citizens, depending on their parents' status.
And as you know from Donald Trump's order, he said that anyone who's a child of either someone here unlawfully or someone who's not a permanent
resident does not qualify.
And I'll just briefly mention the transgender ruling. That was a really big deal that drew a dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor from the bench --
after Brett Kavanaugh talked about allowing states to be able to exclude trans women from these teams, how it gave them an unfair competitive
advantage and unfair safety issues.
So that was quite a dramatic moment with Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Sotomayor going at it, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah. Joan, really appreciate it.
We want to ask more about that from Jacqueline as well, because after this transgender decision that Joan was talking about there, tell us about the
research and what it says about transgender women having this athletic advantage.
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Max, when we look at this from solely a scientific lens, the research, there isn't much out there.
[15:05:02]
But what we can gather from experts, experts say that when you look at really young children, so young athletes, we're talking about ages five,
six, and seven, you don't see much of a difference between young girls and boys. But then once children enter puberty around age 11, that's where
differences emerge. And that's really where this discussion begins.
So, when puberty begins around age 11, we do tend to see higher levels of testosterone in boys, and male puberty can lead to thicker bones, more
height, greater muscle mass. We tend to see a greater aerobic capacity and some other changes that may be tied to endurance. So, because we do see
these differences emerge around puberty, that's where a lot of the questions are. And that's where we need more research to really dissect and
analyze how these differences from puberty may make a difference in competitive sports, how may these differences lead to advantages when we
look specifically at athletic abilities and physical abilities?
And there's also the question of how hormone therapy, if someone's taking puberty blockers, for instance, impacts those differences. So that's really
where the scientific questions emerge in this case. And like I said, Max, there really isn't much research out there. So, we do hear from advocates,
from politicians, from athletes themselves, from both sides of the argument. We're hearing this call for more research to look into this.
So that's really where things currently lie when we talk to experts about the differences that we may see between athletes.
FOSTER: Yeah. Okay. A really interesting day. Jacqueline, Joan, thank you so much for bringing us all of your analysis around that.
Now, senior U.S. envoys have arrived in Qatar for meetings on an interim peace agreement with Iran. Delegations from both sides are gathering in
Doha, but for now, there are no high-level direct talks. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff are
expected to meet today with Qatar's prime minister, though Iran's foreign ministry says Iran will hold its own talks with Qatar tomorrow. It says
they'll focus on implementing provisions of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S., including the release of Iran's frozen assets.
Last hour, I spoke to our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He says it's telling that direct U.S.-Iran talks are happening only at the
low, very technical level.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The fact that they're not going to meet with the Iranians, I think, gives us an indication of the
difficulties that lie ahead, even at the technical level. The way that the system is designed to operate, you have the technical talks in which the
Qataris said are going on. There are technical teams coming and going, they indicated, from Qatar and from other locations. So those meetings, they
say, are happening. But that's when you bring in the high-level figures.
Clearly, it would appear at least that whatever has been achieved at the technical level, it's not -- it's not enough to get the leadership figures
face to face. And as you say, the Iranians have said that they're coming in. And one of the issues that they want to look at is their frozen assets.
And again, just to sort of take a small detour into the frozen assets, if you remember about a week or so ago, J.D. Vance, speaking in Switzerland,
the U.S. vice president, said, yes, Qatar has the frozen assets. They will have to give a green light if Iran is going to get them. And we, the United
States, will also have to give a green light before the money can be released. And that money, he said, will be spent on U.S. agricultural
products, which will then go to the Iranian people.
The Iranians pushed back on that concept. So even on this issue of frozen assets, that's key to getting into other areas of talks, there is
disagreement about how it's supposed to be done. The two sides, when Iran is coming to Doha to talk about this issue, are not, as far as we can tell,
going to meet face to face and talk about it.
So, the clock is running down quite quickly, it seems, with not a lot of product toward the 60 days of dealing with all the points in the memorandum
of understanding, Max.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Thank you to Nic for that.
Days of scenes of joy and deliverance coming out of Venezuela. Jordanian rescuers saving this three-year-old boy from the debris six days after its
most powerful earthquakes in more than a century. But these moments are becoming harder and harder to come by. Some areas haven't even been reached
yet. Many are furious at what they say is a lack of government response and years of underfunding of hospitals.
[15:10:00]
According to the latest numbers, more than 1,900 people were killed in those quakes. Tens of thousands more are still missing.
CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more on the rescue efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the hours and days go by since the two devastating earthquakes hit Venezuela, the window for
finding survivors is beginning to close. There are still glimmers of hope, like these moments when a woman was rescued from under the rubble of a
building in La Guaira, surrounded by family yelling they love her. Her 18- day-old baby was also found alive, cradled by the hands that dug through the dust and debris.
For this man, Antonio, pulled from a collapsed building to the sound of cheers and applause. Others continue to dig with the tools they have,
hoping for a sign of their loved ones, growing frustrated and angry as rescue efforts stall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We want support. We want heavy machinery. We want to take our family members with us. I'm not the only one
in this situation.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Dozens of international crews are on the ground in Venezuela, bringing highly trained sniffer dogs, supplies, expertise and
compassion.
ADALBERTO PASTOR, MEXICAN RESCUE WORKER (through translator): At this moment, we're continuing with our search for possible victims. We have
conducted canine searches and we're now using electronic equipment, which allows us to be more accurate.
POZZEBON (voice-over): The so-called golden hour window, the 72-hours after an earthquake when the chance of finding survivors is greater, has
now ended. Many who survived are still shaken, and each aftershock brings stark reminders of everything they've lost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Okay, we're going to now take you to Isa Soares, who's been spending time on the ground there in Venezuela, finding some really sort of
harrowing stories. I want to warn you that many of those stories are tough to hear, but it is the reality of what Isa Soares discovered on the ground
in Caracas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this is roughly the plan of this eight- story building here in Caracas. They've broken it down into floors to get a sense of who lived and what floors. It tells you how many people have died:
12 people. How many people have been rescued? Three so far. Approximately 20 families, people still missing here from this eight-story building in
Caracas.
SOARES (voice-over): But over the last two days, no one has been found alive. Still, the rescue operations continue, and families wait for however
long it takes.
MIRELLA HERRERA, RELATIVES MISSING AFTER EARTHQUAKE (translated): It's maddening because that I feel desperate. I walk, if they're alive.
SOARES (voice-over): It has been an agonizing wait for Mirella Herrera, who has been here every day longing for signs of life, waiting for her son,
her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughters, both in their 20s.
HERRERA (translated): I feel that my son is strong, and I feel that he's waiting for me, that he knows that I'm here waiting for him. For that
reason, I don't want to give up.
SOARES (voice-over): There's also fury from those who say that Venezuela was not prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. It's certainly the case
at the main pediatric hospital in Caracas.
Right now, they're treating a 12-year-old girl for multiple and life- threatening injuries.
Her little body is in excruciating pain after she was crushed by the weight of the collapsed floors.
DR. HUNIADES URBINA-MEDINA, INTENSIVE CARE PEDIATRICIAN: We could receive at least ten patients here in this area, but since at least ten years ago,
we don't have enough personnel. We don't have enough medicines. We don't have enough ventilators. So, we can only work with four patients here in
this area.
SOARES (voice-over): More than 100 children have ended up here following last Wednesday's back-to-back earthquake, tells me Dr. Urbina Medina, who
has been a pediatrician for 20 years.
SOARES: You're not prepared. Venezuela's hospitals are not prepared.
URBINA-MEDINA: Are not prepared.
SOARES: Never been prepared.
URBINA-MEDINA: Any hospital -- no, no, no hospital in Venezuela is prepared for the day by day. But with this catastrophe, it's worse because
we don't have enough medicines, equipment, or personnel.
SOARES (voice-over): The tragic consequence of years of crisis and mismanagement now coming to the fore.
Isa Soares, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, for more information about how you can help Venezuela earthquake victims, do go to CNN.com/impact.
Coming up, a U.S. lawmaker returns to Capitol Hill after a long absence. Why he says he missed more than 100 days working in Washington.
[15:15:01]
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: We're just days away from the Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C. However, the drama surrounding damage to the Lincoln
Memorial Reflecting Pool isn't going away.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty learned more from the man in charge of what will be the fix.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the middle of the political tidal wave, this man is in charge of keeping water in the
reflecting pool crystal clear.
CHAS ANTINONE JR., PRESIDENT & COO AT GREENWATER SERVICES: We've never done a pool, but the water is relatively the same as the water that you
would see out in a regular lake somewhere, right? You're treating it for algae and bacteria.
SERFATY: How clean does President Trump want to get this project?
ANTINONE: I don't know the answer to that question yet, but since it was really blue last week. I think he liked that.
SERFATY (voice-over): In his first TV interview, Chas Antinone, the CEO of Greenwater Services, defended its patented ozone nanobubbler, a new
technology that's costing $1.7 million, and that the Trump administration is building as the state-of-the-art fix for the algae-ridden pool.
ANTINONE: Ozone is 3,000 times faster and 50 times more powerful than chlorine, and it's able to stay in the water, travel through the water,
find the toxins that it needs, that's why we're able to treat it from both ends and treat the whole pool.
SERFATY (voice-over): But the project has been plagued with other problems too, from the new blue bottom peeling up to Trump blaming without evidence
left wing vandals.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reflecting pool is so beautiful, they tried to destroy it.
SERFATY (voice-over): Prompting Trump to announce they'll need to drain the pool again.
TRUMP: We'll fix it right after the 4th of July.
SERFATY (voice-over): Meanwhile, the small Ohio company has been thrust into the national spotlight for their role.
SERFATY: What's your understanding of why the original bloom happened?
ANTINONE: How it happened? I don't know. It could be -- someone could have come from the pipes. Could somebody have dumped some stuff in there?
Anything's possible in the middle of the night.
SERFATY (voice-over): In April, the company was given a no bid contract from the Trump administration, bypassing a competitive bidding process. The
company's co-owner is JJ Cafaro, a longtime supporter and donor to President Trump and neighbor living near his Mar-a-Lago club.
[15:20:05]
TRUMP: JJ Cafaro from Florida and from Cleveland. He's a man who made a lot of money in Cleveland, does a good job and a fantastic man.
SERFATY (voice-over): In 2001, Cafaro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe Representative James Traficant and separately pleaded guilty in 2010
for a campaign finance violation. The Interior Department says the White House was not involved in the selection process for any contract and did
not weigh in on the company selected, full stop.
And the company has also tried to distance itself from Cafaro, saying he is an Ohio-based businessman who invested in the Ohio-based company after the
owner showed him research on local Ohio bodies of water. A spokesperson for the company said he has no involvement in the day-to-day operations.
Earlier this month, Cafaro defended his company's technology, saying he believes the public scrutiny over the reflecting pool is from people who
don't seem to like Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And there has been some speculation that the Trump administration potentially compounded some of the problems down here at the reflecting
pool. There was a 24-hour period of time where the temporary nano-ozone bubbles were removed from the reflecting pool. That was at the request of
the National Park Service.
At the same time, the president was hosting a large photo-op down here at the National Mall for the UFC championship. Now, the company confirms that
the permanent ozone nanobubbler technology has been installed and actually is off of the reflecting pool, just over my shoulder, in a pump house off
the reflecting pool.
Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
FOSTER: Meanwhile, all around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, pyrotechnic crews are setting up a gigantic fireworks display. Organizers
hope to set a new Guinness World Record to mark America's 250th birthday. They plan to set off more than 850,000 fireworks. President Trump says
he'll personally launch the show.
House Republican John Kean is back on Capitol Hill after a months-long absence. Now, the New Jersey congressman missed more than 100 days in
Washington this year. He told colleagues on the House floor today he had a diagnosis of depression. When he first arrived, the representative didn't
answer questions from CNN's Arlette Saenz on why he didn't disclose the information earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Congressman Kean, why did you wait so long to disclose your diagnosis? Congressman Kean, why did you wait so long
to disclose your diagnosis? Should you have told the public sooner?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Arlette joins us now from Washington.
I mean, this is the mystery here, isn't it? Obviously, everyone has sympathy for any mental health issues, but it's the lack of explanation
that people are wondering about.
SAENZ: Yeah, exactly. And Congressman Tom Kean will continue to face questions about why he waited so long to make this diagnosis of depression
public. But he did spend some time on the House floor earlier today explaining his absence from Capitol Hill.
Overall, the congressman was gone from Capitol Hill for nearly four months, and today he revealed a diagnosis that many had speculated about over this
period of time, finally revealing that he was being treated for depression, including a hospitalization to deal with this issue.
Take a listen to what the congressman said as he returned to the House floor for the first time in four months.
(BEGN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM KEAN (R-NJ): Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would
result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression.
Now, when people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that. It is
physical. It is emotional. And until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Now, depression is impacting U.S. adults, nearly three in 10 adults at some point in their lifetime, and Congressman Kean talked about
the millions of Americans who are impacted by depression. As he gave that speech, he noted that there is no timeline for healing and recovery. That
was a bit of his explanation for how this all played out, but he certainly will continue to face questions about why he waited so long to make this
diagnosis public.
I would note that back in 2023, Senator John Fetterman had actually checked himself into Walter Reed Medical Center nearby here in Washington, D.C., to
be treated for clinical depression. He was treated at that hospital for a little bit over a month and returned to Congress a month later. But his
team very quickly made his diagnosis and his treatment plans public to people after he had entered that hospital.
[15:25:07]
That is something that we have not seen Congressman Kean do, and something he will certainly continue to face questions about, especially as he
continues to run for reelection in the November midterm elections -- Max.
FOSTER: Arlette, thank you so much for explaining all of that. Thank you.
Still to come, the biggest case of the year: the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the fundamental question of who is a U.S. citizen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: As we told you earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up its term today with a flurry of major decisions. Perhaps the most anticipated case
of this term involved President Donald Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship. But the court struck that down, saying that pretty much anyone
born on American soil can be an American citizen.
In another significant ruling, the court continued the trend of allowing more and more money into politics. It removed any limits on what a
political party can spend to support individual candidates. That ruling could be a boon to Republicans, as their party has vastly more cash on hand
than the Democratic National Committee heading into the midterms this fall.
For some analysis of all of this, we welcome attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin.
Thanks for joining us, Areva. I mean,
I think, you know, if you look at the Constitution, it was a very clear decision, wasn't it, on birthright citizenship. But there were still
dissenters. Have you figured out what was going on here?
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: No. I'm shocked. I think, as most Americans are, that there would be individuals sitting on
our Supreme Court that have doubts about the fact that the 14th Amendment and 150 years of precedent determined that if you're born on American soil,
or if you are a naturalized American citizen, then your children are automatically American citizens.
[15:30:19]
That has been the law of the land since I think all of us can remember. It's what we teach in elementary school, high school, and colleges. It's
what's in our history books. And for there to be three justices to dissent, and for this not to be a nine-zero decision, is quite disheartening and
says a lot about where we are in this country politically.
If you look at the dissent by Justice Clarence Thomas, he says, well, the 14th Amendment remains and stands. But the interpretation somehow, for all
these decades, that the Supreme Court got the interpretation wrong and that there should be something else other than being born in America that makes
you an American.
And that has just never been any interpretation of the 14th Amendment by legal scholars, by historians, and by those who believe in our democracy.
FOSTER: Yeah. It was a profound moment, wasn't it? The Constitution being held up very clearly.
There is also a profound moment for individuals in America. I mean, how many people would this have affected if it had gone through? And what, in
practice, does this make in terms of a difference?
MARTIN: That's a great question. Approximately 250,000 people would have been immediately impacted by this decision because, essentially, the
executive order issued by the Trump administration determined that if you were born to parents who did not have legal status in this country, then
you somehow would not be an American. The practical application of that would have been catastrophic.
I mean, states and perhaps the Homeland Security Department would be trying to determine who these children are and then making some kind of decision
about what happens to them. It wasn't clear. Did Trump and the executive branch mean for not only the parents who may not have legal status, but
their children, to be immediately deported?
Again, so many logistical issues would have been created had this decision gone in the opposite direction. But this is a good day for our democracy.
This is a good day for the 14th Amendment and for the Constitution.
And it also reminds, I think, the executive branch that they don't have the power to unilaterally change the Constitution, that if there is a desire to
make a constitutional amendment, there is a process by which that has to happen. It requires a two-thirds vote by Congress. It requires ratification
by three-fourths of the states. It cannot be done just by executive order.
FOSTER: But Trump isn't giving up. He says he's going to go to Congress and change the law. How does that work when the Supreme Court is the
highest court?
MARTIN: Well, clearly, there could be a constitutional amendment, but it is an incredibly high bar. You would have to get two-thirds of Congress to
vote to make a change to the 14th Amendment. And then you'd have to get three-fourths of the states to ratify that vote coming out of Congress.
And if you look at the response to this executive order, clearly, the American people, the majority of the American people, support the 14th
Amendment as written, as interpreted, and support the Constitution that has always upheld birthright citizenship.
So clearly, Trump is free to try to get his thinly controlled Republican Congress to vote on this issue, but it is highly unlikely that he could get
three-fourths of the states in this country to ratify such a change.
FOSTER: I also want to talk about the states being told, effectively, that they can ban trans athletes from girls' sports. This isn't actually a
national policy, is it? It's based in reference to states that do want to do it. So, when people talk about fairness around this issue, it's still
pretty unfair wherever you are in the country, because there's going to be a different law in place depending on where you compete.
MARTIN: Utter confusion by this decision, exactly, Max, is what we're going to have, because you're right, this ban, this law, this decision, I
should say, by the Supreme Court, impacts two states in particular. It does not say to states like California and other states that they cannot allow
trans women to participate in sports in school settings.
So, essentially, I anticipate we're going to see lawsuits being brought state by state for those individuals, those conservative nonprofit groups
that want to challenge whatever state law may be on the books in their particular state.
And when you look at this issue, I think it's really important to put it in perspective. There's only about 1.3 percent of individuals in this entire
country who identify as trans, and take that number into account when you think about the 300 million-plus people in the United States. And then even
from that 1.3 percent of individuals, a small, very small percentage of those individuals identify as athletes or are attempting to play sports in
school settings or attempting to play sports, particularly at the professional level.
So, this trans issue has become a wedge issue being used by Republicans, being used by the Trump administration. But it really impacts a very small
number of individuals.
FOSTER: Areva Martin, really appreciate your thoughts on that. Huge day in Washington today and for America.
Now, NASA astronauts, meanwhile, in space, are beginning a spacewalk today to repair a robotic arm on the International Space Station.
Astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams are currently working to replace a wrist joint, as I understand it. It malfunctioned during operations back
in May.
CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You know, Max, NASA just declared today's spacewalk a success, and astronauts Chris Williams and
Jessica Meir are now safely back aboard the International Space Station after successfully repairing that failed wrist joint on its Canadian
robotic arm on the International Space Station. Engineers have confirmed two good streams of electrical power through the new joint, which is a key
sign that this repair worked.
This was essentially orthopedic surgery to replace a wrist on an arm. Except the arm is 57 feet long, can lift the equivalent of eight school
buses, and the surgery happened 250 miles above Earth. Six hours and 57 minutes, that's how long the spacewalk was -- not the longest NASA has ever
done, but maybe one of the more intricate because it focused entirely on this single repair from start to finish.
The wrist joint contains the motors and gearboxes and bearings that allow the Canadarm to rotate so it can capture spacecraft, support spacewalks,
and move massive pieces of the ISS. It's one of the International Space Station's most important pieces of equipment.
But back on May 27, the joint mysteriously drew too much electrical current and failed. So, NASA quickly put together this mission to repair that joint
using a spare wrist joint that was already on board the space station. The failed joint, now back inside the ISS, will eventually be returned to Earth
so engineers can determine exactly what's wrong.
The repair should keep the Canadarm operating through the remainder of the International Space Station's life, which is currently planned through
2030. NASA says she is aging gracefully -- Max.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Gracefully. Pete, thank you so much indeed.
Now, the final moments of trade on Wall Street: stocks are pushing for fresh all-time highs. If the Dow finishes in the green, it will be a new
record after closing above 52,000 for the first time on Monday.
This is our Business Breakout.
The British government says it's likely to challenge Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. The U.K. culture
minister says she's minded to intervene on the deal because of what it could mean for media diversity. The takeover has already cleared regulators
in many other countries, including the U.S.
The number of job openings in the U.S. was much higher than expected last month, hitting a two-year high. Today's figures come from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Economists were predicting a big drop in openings, so the data shows the U.S. job market may be turning a corner.
Toyota has announced a joint venture with the company that makes air taxis. Joby is a California company that develops all-electric aircraft. The two
companies will work together on commercial production. Toyota's chairman says it's the natural extension of his company's mission.
Still to come: Monaco manhunt. Police search for a suspect who targeted a Ukrainian-born tycoon in a shocking bomb attack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:42:21]
FOSTER: Ukrainian officials say they've hit one of Russia's largest satellite communications centers for the second time in a week.
As CNN's Clare Sebastian reports, Kyiv has been ramping up the pressure on the Kremlin, and these successful attacks are giving hope to Ukrainians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four hundred nineteen Ukrainian drones were destroyed or averted overnight into Tuesday, according to the Russian
Ministry of Defense. More than 60 of those targeted Moscow, the mayor said.
Ukrainian drone attacks on this scale are now a core part of its strategy to end this war, where frontline gains are slow and grinding.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a 40-day campaign using medium- and long-range strikes to try to, quote, compel
Russia to stop fighting. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Ukraine had hit a major satellite communications hub, used partly for the Russian military in
Dubna, north of Moscow. The second hit, he said, on that facility in ten days, and the fourth recent strike targeting satellite communications
facilities. But Russia has not confirmed that hit on Tuesday.
Separately, the governor of the Moscow region said a six-month-old baby died on the way to hospital after a drone crashed into a residential house
south of Moscow on Tuesday. The Kremlin spokesman called this an example of the, quote, criminal actions of the Kyiv regime.
Russia, facing widespread fuel shortages as a result of Ukrainian attacks on its refineries, is also not letting up with its attacks. Look at this
dashcam video purportedly capturing a daytime drone attack on Zaporizhzhia that shattered the car windows. You can see the driver, though, keeps on
going through the blast.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: An apparent assassination attempt has shocked the city-state of Monaco. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, three people of a
family of Ukrainian origin were wounded when a parcel bomb went off in a residential building. The intended target is reportedly a Ukrainian tycoon
who renounced his citizenship.
As Melissa Bell explains, a manhunt for a suspect is now underway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A manhunt is underway here in France and in Monaco after a bomb went off on Monday night
in the city-state, not known for its violent crime and normally a haven of peace. What we understand, even as that manhunt continues, is that Vadym
Iermolaiev has been named by Ukrainian authorities as being one of the victims of this bomb blast.
He's a 58-year-old Ukrainian who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship back in 2019. He explained himself for tax reasons.
[15:45:03]
He's now a citizen of Cyprus and was living with his family in Monaco.
Nothing for now from authorities on why he may have been the target of this assassination attempt. What we do know is that he was sanctioned by Kyiv
back in 2023 over allegations that he had done business in Russian-occupied Crimea, an allegation that he denied.
We also know that he has a son who was convicted of fraud in Estonia but left the country after doing a few months of jail time there.
So, some elements are emerging about this particular family, that of 58- year-old Vadym Iermolaiev, but very little more from authorities, who are staying very tight-lipped for now about what the motive may have been.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, Serena Williams is back in action at Wimbledon as she plays her first singles match in nearly four years. We'll give you the
latest score
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Seven-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams is playing a game on Wimbledon's Center Court. In a match underway right now at the All
England Club, the 44-year-old faces an opponent less than half her age, 20- year-old Maya Joint. Still using a high-speed attack, Williams recorded a 194-kilometer-per-hour serve.
It's more than 120 miles an hour, isn't it, Don? I mean, it is a great match, and I'm watching it in the corner of my eye. But she's behind.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, I don't know what we were all really expecting, to be honest with you, Max, given that Serena Williams
hasn't played a competitive match of singles tennis in almost four years. But there is a huge amount of interest in this match on Center Court
against Australia's Maya Joint.
Joint took the first set 6-3. I believe the second set is four-all. A short time ago, Serena Williams did break her opponent for the first time in the
match. Center Court absolutely erupted because everybody is there to see if this legend can get on another extraordinary run at this famous sporting
pantheon, where she's already won, as you say, seven singles titles.
Maya Joint, who has lost most of the matches that she has played this year, does not seem to be overawed by the occasion, and she's giving a pretty
good account of herself.
[15:50:03]
And it may well be that within the next few minutes, Maya Joint is able to win this match. If that is the case, and it's the end of Serena's singles
run on her comeback at Wimbledon, remember, she does still have the doubles. She's teaming up with her sister Venus later in the week. I
believe they'll be getting underway on Thursday, but there is a tremendous amount of interest in Serena's return.
Remember, she didn't retire from tennis, even though that's what many people just assumed was the case. She said at the time she had evolved away
from tennis after the U.S. Open in 2022. We didn't think she'd be back, but here she is, and we will see. But this match isn't quite done yet, Max.
So, as we've been saying with the World Cup for the last few weeks, anything can happen.
FOSTER: Yeah, it's totally true. I just wanted to have a quick thought for Joint, though. I mean, she was born after Serena Williams' first Wimbledon
win, I believe.
RIDDELL: Yeah.
FOSTER: She would have grown up idolizing her, surely.
RIDDELL: Yeah. I mean, what must have gone through her head when she got this draw? And isn't she remarkable for coping, you know, mentally, with
this pressure, with the whole world watching? I mean, everyone's watching it.
FOSTER: Right. And she knows that everybody, or pretty much everybody, wants Serena Williams to win the match. Yeah. I mean, when she was first
told about the draw, she thought it was a joke. It was only when her coach called her that she kind of realized it was true.
Yeah. I mean, Maya Joint, I think when she was born, Serena had already won like half a dozen major titles. And she, of course, would have wanted to
play Serena in her career. She assumed it wasn't to be.
So, what an amazing opportunity for her to find that she's in this position and she might actually get the win.
FOSTER: Quickly on Norway, just because Sweden's playing tonight as well. It's the night of Scandinavians, I've decided. But incredible game, right?
And there have been some real standouts, haven't there? Paraguay was the other one.
RIDDELL: So, we're only, what, five games into the knockout stage of the World Cup, and all of these games have been hugely dramatic, Max. They have
all been very, very close. We've seen some late winners, some late equalizers. We got another winner today coming very late in the day.
It was Erling Haaland, of course, who didn't feature too much in the match against Ivory Coast at the Dallas stadium, I believe it was today. But
Haaland popped up in the 86th minute to score his fifth goal of this tournament, meaning those fans are going to keep on roaring, and they will
be roaring all the way into a round-of-16 match against Brazil next.
So, this wonderful story with Norway continues. Remember, this is their first World Cup in nearly 30 years, but they are making the most of it.
They absolutely deserve to be there. And thanks to Erling Haaland, they're still going.
FOSTER: Yeah, he's a superstar, isn't he?
Don, appreciate it. Thank you.
Now, the World Cup isn't the only thing filling stadiums at the moment, or Serena Williams. It's also breaking TV viewership records within the U.S.,
the football. Despite the country's long-held hesitancy, it has to be said, to embrace what all Americans actually call soccer.
Chief media analyst Brian Stelter looks at what's driving this surge in viewing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIAN ANALYST: World Cup fever is real in the United States, and the television ratings prove it. Fox and Telemundo say
they have set and broken viewership records again and again throughout the month of June, and the networks are expecting even higher ratings in the
coming days, with the U.S. playing in prime time on Wednesday night.
Now, full disclosure here: talking about World Cup ratings. There's no standard way to calculate the global audience for a tournament like the
World Cup that airs on multiple channels, multiple platforms, and in many different countries. But FIFA likes to call the World Cup the single most-
watched sporting event on Earth, and in the U.S., it is certainly gaining in popularity.
Telemundo has the Spanish-language rights in the U.S.; Fox has the English- language rights, and the networks combined have cued up more than 20 million viewers for some of the matches. Those are NFL-level figures in the
U.S.
Telemundo says World Cup viewership is, quote, "pacing" at more than double the 2022 tournament, and Fox says at least 84 million Americans have tuned
in for at least a minute of one of the matches. So that means sampling is sky-high this summer.
Now, some of those folks are just channel-surfing, but others are sticking around, watching match after match. I've been talking with the head of
Fox's research department, and he says these numbers are already far surpassing the 2022 tournament.
And there are some obvious reasons why that is. The most obvious factor is that the games are being played in the U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico,
so Americans are automatically more aware of the World Cup this year. Also, the games being played in the U.S. means the time zones are favorable for
American viewers. These games are often being played in the evening and at night, when more Americans are at home and able to watch.
More generally, soccer continues to grow in popularity in the U.S., and live sports continue to compel people to tune in live to watch TV live, as
opposed to watching on demand, or maybe never getting around to it at all.
[15:55:04]
And there's one more interesting factor here: Nielsen, the ratings company, is now measuring out-of-home viewing behavior in ways that it didn't or
couldn't even just a few years ago. So, now, Nielsen's capturing audience behavior at bars and restaurants and other World Cup viewing party
locations.
As a result, the ratings are a fuller, more accurate picture of actual viewing behavior, showing that the sport we call soccer in the U.S. is
becoming more and more popular all across America.
Brian Stelter, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: It's football.
Finally, tonight, heartbreak for Los Angeles Lakers fans out there. Basketball superstar LeBron James is leaving the team. His agent confirms
that James will enter free agency after the season ends.
In a post on social media, the Lakers thanked LeBron for his tenure with the team. LeBron James responded to that message, thanking the Lakers
organization. Over 23 seasons in the NBA, he also played with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN. More after the break.
END
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